Minneapolis, MN 2015

If you are 93 and have lived here all your life, congratulations on enjoying a lifetime of one of the highest qualities of life one can experience. Sure, Minneapolis, like everywhere, has had its problems and continues to have its problems. It's history is interesting, though, because it wasn't always like that. Both my parents lived and died here in their early nineties, so I know of what I write.

From behance.net

If you were 93, you'd remember the graft and politics and racism here that wasn't very pretty. Somehow those issues will always be in the mix no matter when and where you are living. But this area has evolved to improve life for it's all citizens year after year. 

Great things have happened in this area to tilt it toward providing good, even great, education at its public and private institutions. And, Minneapolis is internationally known for its aqua blue necklace of connected lakes and summer green park lands that are the center of our recreation 365 days a year. (Obviously, crystal blue and snow covered are better adjectives for Minneapolis in the colder months.)

Overall, Minneapolites tend to be optimistic and democratic. Even better, the complainers are expected to do something about injustices. Or, we expect them to go hunting and fishing and enter politics.

We are currently undergoing a transformation in the Minneapolis downtown area. I moved to my Downtown condo ten years ago. At that time I viewed a lot of distant parking lots out my windows. Those areas have rapidly become new condos and apartments, arts venues, and restaurants.

Parks have been added and upgraded in the area. A football stadium is being built for the Vikings team along with an attached public space that's mostly a park. The Twins baseball team plays in their new stadium. Light rail transportation connects us to the MSP airports, the Mall of America and downtown St. Paul. The Mississippi River Road is shared by pedestrians, bikers, and autos on their designated lanes flowing through treed green lawns and vistas of the Mississippi.

A lot of people continue move to Minneapolis from other states and other countries for its wealth of jobs, a good education, or a just chance to start over. I love the diversity of people I can meet in my own building or attending area events.

Here, I share my observations about what it is like to live here for good or bad. With luck, I will be able to update this space at least once a week.

Tales of Two Cities: Sports Detente

Minneapolis is one of  the "Twin Cities". St. Paul is the other. I've often thought that calling these twins is strange. They are quite different considering the cultural, business and governmental differences.

As a long time "Minneapolitan", I can tell you that people here often live within their designated city and its suburbs and rarely go to the other unless work makes it a requirement. It's not that we don't like each other, it's that often social circles just don't "go there".
Our national baseball team is named the Twins. We name things here to try to get ourselves to identify with the "other" city and the rest of the state. Good for marketing.

Our newest professional soccer team is the Minnesota United. Soccer representatives are currently trying to convince each municipality that it would be great to build another stadium just for the United. Minnesota United seems like a bit of an oxymoron given some historical differences between the cities and what used to be called "Out State" by the media... but maybe the name will unite us?

If we were to rename our professional football team (a good idea as I've always thought the purple Vikings don't represent our dominantly plaid and T-shirt style) it should be something equally unifying. We should get away from the Scandinavian theme that's a bit past its time. How about "the Winners"? For anyone who knows the team's reputation for losing important games, I would hope that would be inspiring.

Tallying Expensive Stadiums
	Twins	1
	Vikings	1
	Lynx	0.5
	Timberwolves	0.5
	Saints	1
	TCF- Gophers	1
	MN United	1
	Total	6

Let's see...tallying it up... the Vikings stadium and the Twins stadium are new in Minneapolis. St. Paul has national hockey, the Wolves, at downtown Energy Center and a minor league baseball team, The Saints, at a new stadium (CHS, memorable no?).  Well, Minneapolis has men's basketball, the Timberwolves and women's basketball, the Lynx, are both playing at the newly remodeling Target Center. Don't forget the new U of M Gopher's football stadium (named TCF) is in Minneapolis. A new soccer stadium will be built "somewhere" for the MN United.

To be fair, our St. Paul side of town needs a soccer stadium to maintain the detente between our cities.